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The psalmist Asaph showed us that there is more to trusting God than
deferring to His wisdom. Another way to become confident in prayer is
to learn to actually enjoy Him while waiting for Him to meet your
needs. Nothing we are waiting for can begin to compare with the
privilege of knowing Him. Nothing else is as important to us as God
Himself.
Certainly there are times when we will be
overwhelmed by our troubles and crushed by our sense of
disappointment and grief. Like Hannah, we will have times when we are
beside ourselves with frustrated longings. Yet there will also be
many other times when we can laugh for joy because of what God has
done for us.
Confidence in What You Know About Him. As we
learn to wait for God, we can begin to find delight in what we
already know about Him. We can accept the invitation of the psalmist
to enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise, and
to bless His name (Ps. 100:4).
Thank Him. God has done so much for you. If
your boss or parents had done one-tenth that much for you, you would
express your gratitude in lavish terms. Do the same with God.
O LORD my God, I will give thanks to You
forever (Ps. 30:12). Jesus gave thanks to the Father (Luke 10:21).
Paul's prayers were filled with expressions of gratitude (see Eph.
5:20). We too should give joyful thanks to the Lord.
Praise Him. We praise God for who He is and we
thank Him for what He has done. The Bible is brimming with
expressions of praise to the Lord.
Praise, O servants of the LORD, praise the name
of the LORD! Blessed be the name of the LORD from this time forth and
forevermore! From the rising of the sun to its going down the LORD's
name is to be praised (Ps. 113:1-3). Other passages of praise to the
Lord include Psalm 146:1-2, Hebrews 13:15, and Revelation 4:11. Lift
your praise up to God in your prayer. Express your worship and
adoration in praise. "He is your praise" (Deut. 10:21).
Confidence in What He Has Promised. Another
way to enjoy God is to rejoice in the promises He gives us about prayer.
Paul named three promises in this classic prayer passage:
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by
prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made
known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding
will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus (Phil. 4:6-7).
The Promise of God's Peace. The antidote to anxiety is prayer. The
commitment of God is that when we roll our burdens onto His
shoulders, He will give us peace. Many Christians will testify that
in the dark night of fear when they brought their burden to the Lord,
He gave them peace and they could sleep (Ps. 4:8). Therefore, we can
rejoice to know that when we bring our concerns and burdens and cares
to the Lord, He will give us peace.
The Promise of God's Protection. Our minds and
hearts will be protected when we pray. He who is our fortress guards
us when the enemy attacks (Ps. 31:1-3). Therefore, we can rejoice in
the protection we know He gives us.
The Promise of God's Presence. Paul expressed
it this way: "The God of peace will be with you" (Phil.
4:9). In our storm, going through the valley, when we feel the most
alone, prayer reminds us of God's presence. We can rejoice in His
promise to be with us wherever we may be.
Curtis
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